


Believe in the Ways of Magic

by drpinkky



Series: You Make Loving Fun [1]
Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: F/F, Fluff, its greenhouse time, misty day has adhd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 18:44:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16393106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drpinkky/pseuds/drpinkky
Summary: Misty runs into Cordelia in the greenhouse and they have a quick potions lesson.





	Believe in the Ways of Magic

In a city full of buried evils, Miss Robichaux’s was something special. The entire property made Misty’s skin itch, but being inside the building pricked at her like fire ants biting up and down her back. She nearly told Miss Cordelia about it a few times, but always stopped herself. After all, Miss Cordelia usually seemed so busy, and since that evil was so strong, she must feel it too, right?

It didn’t help there was next to no plant life in the school. Some greenery could filter away a lot of the badness, replace it with something good. 

That’s why Misty favored the greenhouse. She found it after only a little exploring, and even before she stepped inside, all those ants marching on her back faded away. Misty could recognize a few of them; she spotted aloe, and violets, and honeysuckle pretty quickly, but there were so many more she didn’t know, and for those, she was grateful for the nametags. She also eyed the science equipment on the table in the back with longing, as she figured it was for potions. From the meticulous organization, it was clear someone used this space a lot, but Misty somehow managed to just barely miss them every time. 

This night, however, Misty wasn’t as alone as she thought. She wandered through the greenhouse, humming a sort of medley of Stevie’s songs when she saw Miss Cordelia at the back table. She held a beaker in one hand and reached for a plant Misty didn’t recognize. Misty cleared her throat quietly, unsure of how best to make the other woman aware of her presence. 

Miss Cordelia turned toward Misty, hackles raised. “Who’s there?” She placed the beaker awfully close to the edge of the table. 

“It’s only me, Miss Cordelia,” 

Miss Cordelia’s shoulders fell and a slight smile spread across her face at Misty’s announcement. “Are you the one who has been watering my plants, Misty?”

Misty smiled and nodded. Then she remembered Miss Cordelia couldn’t see her nodding, so spoke up. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“Aw, it’s nothing,” Miss Cordelia’s smile set Misty’s stomach and heart tumbling over themselves. “What’re you working on?” 

“A serum. For my eyes.” Miss Cordelia turned back around. She motioned for Misty to join her.

“You mean it’ll restore your vision?” Misty asked in awe. She hovered at Miss Cordelia’s side.

“Nothing quite that miraculous,” Miss Cordelia sighed, “it’s a stronger witch hazel, for the scars. They sting when I smile.” 

The confessional quality to her comment left Misty at a loss for a moment. She watched as Miss Cordelia felt around for the beaker and another plant at the same time. The scars around Miss Cordelia’s eyes, and her eyes themselves, sometimes gave Misty pause when she looked at her. Not that they were bad or scary, after all, she’d seen so much worse, but the thought that anyone could do _that_ to Miss Cordelia was shocking. 

“You know what might help too,” Misty started, hoping she wasn’t about to overstep any bounds, “some of my mud.”

Miss Cordelia quirked an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah, like a spa treatment, you know?”

“I might just take you up on that after I finish this. Where is that b-“

Just as she said it, the back of Miss Cordelia’s hand knocked into the beaker. It shattered against the floor. 

“Damn it!”  
Miss Cordelia slammed her palms into the table and took deep, ragged breaths. The reaction took Misty off guard, as she hadn’t seen Miss Cordelia angry before.

“Do you have a dustpan?” Misty asked after a moment.

Miss Cordelia gestured toward the back corner of the greenhouse. Misty took her time looking for it, hoping to give Miss Cordelia some time to breathe. 

“I’m back. Gonna sweep this up for you, now,” she said, so she didn’t startle Miss Cordelia when she returned. 

Miss Cordelia nodded. Misty worked in silence, occasionally glancing up to see how Miss Cordelia was doing. She cradled her head in her hands, but her breathing had evened out, so Misty figured she was doing at least a little better. 

“Think it’s worth salvaging?” Misty asked once she got every bit of glass up off the floor. 

Miss Cordelia shook her head. “I have plenty,” she waved a hand toward a cabinet. It opened to reveal shelves of empty glassware of all shapes and sizes. Misty emptied the glass shards into a nearby trash can and returned the dustpan to its spot. 

She hovered at Miss Cordelia’s shoulder, trying to figure out how to best phrase her next question. “You mind if I help you with this one? Just because the last one tumped over and all,” 

Miss Cordelia turned toward her, with a surprised look on her face. “You want to learn potioncraft?” 

“Of course, Miss Cordelia!” Misty tried to keep a handle on her excitement. “I’ve always wanted to learn how plants can help people, more than what I figured out on my own in my swamp.” 

A bright smile lit up Miss Cordelia’s face. “I should have expected you would, Misty. I’d love to teach you.” She stepped away from the table and motioned for Misty to take her place. 

“Start with the witch hazel, it should still be to your left.” Miss Cordelia pointed with her left hand and rested her right on the table. “You can get this in any given pharmacy; it’s a pretty common astringent, but it’s much more potent homemade.” 

“Isn’t everything?”

“More or less. Some Aloe vera gel next.” 

Misty carefully followed each of Miss Cordelia’s directions, delighted with the impromptu lesson. After a few more plants, most of which Misty recognized, they finished with a short incantation. Miss Cordelia supplied the words quietly, so Misty could recite them. The concoction in the beaker bubbled slightly in response. 

“What color is the steam coming off of it?”

“White,”

“Perfect!” Miss Cordelia cried. She patted Misty on the back, a little awkwardly. 

Normally, Misty would have gone in for a celebratory hug after an accomplishment like this, but Miss Cordelia probably wasn’t expecting it. Instead, Misty busied herself with organizing the things she had moved earlier. Miss Cordelia picked up the beaker and leaned against the table. 

“You really oughta get some Stevie in here,” Misty said, unsure of anything else to say. 

“I’m fine in the quiet,” Miss Cordelia said, cradling the beaker of the salve. 

“Stevie doesn’t have to be loud,” Misty said before she could stop herself. She chided herself for bringing it up. Whenever Stevie was involved, the filter between her brain and mouth disappeared, and her words would just spill out without any thought. In school, this same tendency to say whatever was on her mind got her in hot water with teachers more than once, and the thought of Miss Cordelia being sore with her over it already weighed on her shoulders. 

“I’ll look into her, then,” Miss Cordelia said. “What songs would you recommend?”

Misty’s heart soared at Miss Cordelia’s interest. “I’ll get you a list by tomorrow,” she promised and started humming a medley of Stevie’s songs as she returned to reorganizing the things she had moved around during the lesson. Miss Cordelia still leaned against the table and chewed on her lip. 

“I’m fixing to head back to my room,” Misty said after a while, “is there anything you need before I go?”

Miss Cordelia opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. She sighed and nodded. “I feel silly for asking, but would you mind putting this on?” She held out the beaker. “I’m still a little rattled from dropping the first one.” 

“Of course, Miss Cordelia.” 

Misty made sure she had a good grip on the beaker as she took it. “Just with my fingers, or,” 

“That’s fine,” 

“Alright, turn towards me.” 

Miss Cordelia followed her instruction. Misty scooped out a big glob of the goo and took a deep breath. “I’ll start on your forehead, I guess.” 

Misty spread the goo over the scars on Miss Cordelia’s forehead, as she said. She did her best to keep some space between fingers and skin, but she grazed Miss Cordelia’s temple with bare fingertips, and the contact drew a sharp gasp out of the other woman. Misty jerked her hand back as Miss Cordelia reached for her arm. 

“Did I hurt you?” 

“No, just a vision. It’s fine.” 

Misty dipped her fingers back into the salve. “Do you wanna keep going?”

Miss Cordelia nodded. “Don’t worry about me, Misty.”

“Alright. I’m gonna do your nose now.” 

Misty gently tapped the tip of Miss Cordelia’s nose, which drew a smile out of the other woman, then spread the gel over the rest of her face. This time, when she gasped, Misty didn’t jerk away. 

“You wanna talk about what you’re seeing?” Misty asked, gathering more of the goo. “Just to fill some of this quiet. Turn to your right.” 

“I see you healing things,” Miss Cordelia said after a moment. “Frogs, birds, an alligator or two. Auntie Myrtle. It’s wonderful.” 

Misty smiled. The memories of her successful resurgences, as the other witches called her power, filled her with joy. Miss Cordelia turned to give Misty access to her other cheek. She didn’t seem like she wanted to talk any more about the visions, so Misty started humming “Dreams” to fill the space. She didn’t need to do it for very long, though, as she finished slathering the stuff on Miss Cordelia’s face soon after. 

“Thank you, Misty,” Miss Cordelia said softly. 

“No problem, Miss Cordelia,” Misty almost added _anything for you,_ but managed to stop herself this time. She handed the beaker back over and smiled. “I’m gonna head out,” 

“I’ll go with you,” 

On the short walk back to the academy, the fire ant feeling came back with a vengeance, as though it had been waiting for her to leave the safety of the plants in the greenhouse. She made a mental note to go out and bring some greenery to the house. Miss Cordelia would probably like it too.

“Misty?” Miss Cordelia said before they went their separate ways to their bedrooms.

“Yeah?”

“I’m holding you to that mud mask."

"You can count on me, Miss Cordelia." 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on twitter and tumblr at drpinkky  
> title from fleetwood mac's "You Make Loving Fun"


End file.
